The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 12, 2026

A gold cross features two horizontal arms, the top shorter than the middle. Deep, cross-shaped channels are recessed into the metal, framed by braided gold wire that also outlines small circles at the arm terminals. Tiny hinges are visible at the top, the ends of the middle arm, and the base. A sphere-shaped base with a braided gold band sits at the bottom.

Double-Arm Reliquary Cross

c. 1100–1200

Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Gothic period, 12th century

gold
Overall: 10.5 x 5.3 x 1.5 cm (4 1/8 x 2 1/16 x 9/16 in.); Former: 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1983.208
Location: 106C Medieval Treasury

Description

This elegant double-arm cross once contained fragments of four of the most important relics of Christ’s Passion, namely a portion of the True Cross, a piece of Christ’s sudarium (sweat cloth), and fragments of the reed staff and sponge used by Christ’s tormentors to mock him and give him vinegar for his thirst during the Crucifixion. The identity of these relics and their placement in the cross are indicated by open cavities on the reliquary’s front and accompanying Latin inscriptions on its back.
  • Jacob Hirsch, Lucerne; Thomas J. Flannery, Chicago; (Sotheby's, London, 1 December 1983, lot 12).
  • Turner, Evan H. “Year in Review for 1983.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 71, no. 2 (February 1984): 38–79. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 68, no. 11 www.jstor.org
    Bagnoli, Martina. Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010. Reproduced: cat. no. 47, p. 89
    Boehm, Barbara Drake and Melanie Holcomb. , et al. Jerusalem, 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven. NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016. Mention: pp. 57-62 Reproduced: p. 57, fig. 25c
  • Every People Under Heaven: Jerusalem, 1000–1400. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (organizer) (September 19, 2016-January 8, 2017).
    The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC (9/19/2016 – 1/8/2017): "Every People Under Heaven: Jerusalem, 1000–1400" cat. no. 25c, p. 58.
    CMA, October 17, 2010 - January 17, 2011, Walters Art Museum February 13 - May 15, 2011, British Museum June 23 - October 9, 2011: "Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe," cat. no. 47.
    Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics, and Devotion in Medieval Europe. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 17, 2010-January 17, 2011); The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD (February 13-May 15, 2011); The British Museum, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (June 23-October 9, 2011).
    The Year in Review for 1983. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 22-April 8, 1984).
  • {{cite web|title=Double-Arm Reliquary Cross|url=false|author=|year=c. 1100–1200|access-date=12 April 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1983.208